1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to tape printing apparatus. The present invention also relates to tape holding cases for holding a supply of tape.
2. Prior Art
Known tape printing apparatuses of the type with which the present invention is generally concerned are disclosed in EP-A-322918 and EP-A-322919 (Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha) and EP-A-267890 (Varitronics). These tape printing apparatuses each include a cassette receiving bay for receiving a cassette or tape holding case. In EP-A-0267890, the tape holding case houses an ink ribbon and a substrate tape, the latter comprising an upper image receiving layer secured to a backing layer by an adhesive. In EP-A-322918 and EP-A-322919, the tape holding case houses an ink ribbon, a transparent image receiving tape and a double-sided adhesive tape which is secured at one of its adhesive coated sides to the image receiving tape after printing and which has a backing layer peelable from its other adhesive coated side. With both these apparatuses, the image transfer medium (ink ribbon) and the image receiving tape (substrate) are in the same cassette.
The present invention relates more closely to a different type of tape printing apparatus which is described for example in EP-A-578372, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. In this printing apparatus, the substrate tape is similar to that described in EP-A-267890 but is housed in its own tape holding case while the ink ribbon is similarly housed in its own tape holding case.
The known tape printing apparatuses have input means, for example a keyboard, to allow the user to input an image to be printed. A display is generally also provided to display the input image or messages to the user. A cutting arrangement is provided to separate the image receiving tape on which an image has been printed from the supply of image receiving tape to thereby define a label.
In the known tape printing apparatuses, the image receiving tape passes in an overlap fashion with the ink ribbon through a print zone consisting of a fixed print head and a platen against which the print head can be pressed to cause an image to transfer from the ink ribbon to the image receiving tape. This is usually done by thermal printing where the print head is heated and the beat causes ink from the ink ribbon to be transferred to the image receiving tape. This type of printing is known as thermal transfer printing. Alternatively, the print head may be in direct contact with a thermally sensitive image receiving tape whereby when the print head is heated, an image is printed directly on the image receiving tape. In this case, an ink ribbon is not required. This type of printing is known as direct thermal printing. It has been proposed by the present applicants that a tape printing apparatus be capable of printing an image on an image receiving tape using an ink ribbon and also directly on a thermally sensitive image receiving tape.
However, the print head operating characteristics required to print on thermally sensitive image receiving tapes and on image receiving tapes via an ink ribbon generally differ. Accordingly, the tape printing apparatus will generally have two modes of operation for the print head, depending on whether the print head is to carry out direct thermal printing or thermal transfer printing. It is therefore desirable that the tape printing apparatus be constructed such that tape printing apparatuses can determine whether the print head should be operable in a direct thermal printing mode or a thermal transfer printing mode.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus for printing an image on an image receiving tape comprising:
a thermal print head for printing an image on the image receiving tape, the print head having a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation;
receiving means for receiving in the first mode of operation a supply of image receiving tape and a supply of ink ribbon for providing an image on the image receiving tape, and in the second mode of operation a supply of thermally sensitive image receiving tape;
driving means for driving the ink ribbon;
control means for controlling the thermal print head; and
detecting means for detecting if ink ribbon is present or absent in the receiving means and arranged to provide a signal to the control means indicative of the presence or absence of ink ribbon, the control means being arranged to control the print head to have the first mode of operation when ink ribbon is present and the second mode of operation when no ink ribbon is present, wherein the detecting means is arranged to detect, when the driving means is activated, a characteristic indicative of movement of the ink ribbon to determine if ink ribbon is present.
Thus, a determination can be made as to whether or not ink ribbon is present and hence the mode of operation for the print head. The print head can thus have a first mode of operation in which thermal transfer printing can be successfully carried out and a second mode of operation in which direct thermal printing can be successfully carried out.
The ink ribbon may be rotatable mounted on a support member and the detecting means may be arranged to detect a characteristic indicative of rotational movement of the ink ribbon. In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotatable support members has a first speed of rotation when an ink ribbon is present and a second speed of rotation when no ink ribbon is present, and the detecting means is arranged to detect a characteristic indicating the speed of rotation of the rotatable support member. Thus, as the detecting means is able to detect a characteristic indicating speed of rotation of the rotatable support member and hence whether or not ink ribbon is present, it can be determined whether or not the print head is to have the first or second mode of operation.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotatable support means is driven by drive means, the rotatable support means rotating more quickly when no ink ribbon is present as compared to when ink ribbon is present. The rotatable support member may be arranged to support take-up means for taking up an ink ribbon, when present. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ink ribbon is driven past the print head and once the print head has printed an image on the image receiving tape, the ink ribbon is taken up onto the take-up means. The take-up means may be in the form of a take-up reel. The presence of the ink ribbon on the rotatable support member acts as a brake and thus reduces the speed of rotation of the driven support member. Preferably, the rotatable support member is coupled via a slipping clutch to a driving gear of the drive means, whereby when no ink ribbon is present, the support member rotates at the same speed as the driving gear and when an ink ribbon is present, the slipping clutch slips so that the rotatable support member rotates at a lower speed than the driving gear.
The support member for supporting the supply of ink ribbon may be freely rotatable such that the rotatable support member is substantially stationary when no ink ribbon is present and rotates when an ink ribbon is present. The supply of ink ribbon may be the unused supply of ink ribbon which is subsequently used to print an image on the image receiving tape. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments of the present invention, a take-up reel and/or a reel for holding a supply of ink ribbon may be provided. Characteristics of the support member for one or other or both of these reels or of the reels themselves may be used to determine if an ink ribbon is present.
The reel for the ink ribbon may be supported on the rotatable support member and the detecting means may be arranged to monitor the speed of rotation of the reel to provide an indication of the speed of rotation of the support member. The reel can support the supply of ink ribbon, prior to its use or take-up the supply of ink ribbon after the printing of an image thereby. The reel may be provided with a surface having a plurality of markings, the detecting means being arranged to detect the markings as the reel rotates with the rotatable support means to provide an indication of the speed of rotation. Those markings may take the form of, for example, reflective marking interspersed with less reflective regions. The detecting means may take the form of a light source and light detector which is arranged to detect the reflective markings.
A member may be provided on the rotatable support member which rotates therewith and the detecting means may be arranged to detect the rotation of the member to provide an indication of the speed of the rotatable support means. The member may be in the form of a disc having a plurality of markings and the detecting means may be arranged to detect the markings as the disc rotates with the rotatable support member to provide an indication of the speed of the support member. The markings may comprise a plurality of holes in the disc and the detecting means may comprise a light source and detector. Alternatively, the markings can comprise reflective regions interspersed with less reflective regions. It should be appreciated that any suitable form of electromagnetic radiation can be used in the detecting means and not just visible light.
The detecting means may comprise a movable member having a first position when an ink ribbon is present and a second position when no ink ribbon is present and the detecting means may be arranged to determine the position of the movable member. The movable member may be arranged to be in the second position when a supply of ink ribbon is present and stationary and to move to the first position only when the ink ribbon is driven by the drive means. Thus, as the ink ribbon is driven by the drive means, the tension in the ink ribbon increases which causes the movable member to adopt the second position.
The detecting means may be arranged to detect a characteristic indicative of the power consumed by the drive means, the drive means being arranged such that the power consumed thereby is greater when an ink ribbon is present as compared to when no ink ribbon is present. The characteristic indicative of the power of the drive means way be the drive current applied thereto or alternatively may be the load on the drive means. The load may be greater when an ink ribbon is present as compared to when an ink ribbon is not present.
Means may be provided for determining when a supply of image receiving tape is first inserted or replaced whereby the tape printing apparatus is arranged so that the mode of operation of the print head is only determined when the determining means determines that a supply of image receiving tape has been inserted or replaced. Thus, the number of checks which need to be made to determine the mode of operation can be reduced. This is advantageous particularly with those embodiments where a small amount of image receiving tape and/or ink ribbon has to be driven through the apparatus in order to determine the mode of operation.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus for printing a label on an image receiving tape comprising:
a thermal print head arranged at a print zone for printing the label on the images receiving tape as the image receiving tape passes through the print zone, the print head having a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation;
control means for controlling the thermal print head;
receiving means for receiving in the first mode of operation a supply of image receiving tape and a supply of ink ribbon for providing an image on the image receiving tape and in the second mode of operation a supply of thermally sensitive image receiving tape;
detecting means for detecting a characteristic indicative of the presence or absence of ink ribbon and arranged to provide a signal to the control means indicative of the presence or absence of ink ribbon, wherein the control means controls the print head to have the first mode of operation when ink ribbon is present and the second mode of operation when no ink ribbon is present; and
cutting means for separating a printed label from the supply of image receiving tape.
Preferably, a support member is provided for supporting an ink ribbon, the support member having a first position when an ink ribbon is present and a second position when no ink is present, the detecting means being arranged to detect a characteristic indicative of the position of the support member to determine if an ink ribbon is present or absent. The support member may support a supply of unused ink ribbon or the ink ribbon which has already been used.
The support member may be a rotatable support member having gear means, the gear means having a first position in which the gear means is coupled to the drive means when the ink ribbon is present and the second position when an ink ribbon is not present, the detecting means being arranged to detect a characteristic indicative of whether the gear means is in a first position or a second position. In the second position, the gear means may be uncoupled from the drive means.
The detecting means may be arranged to detect the position of the gear means. Alternatively or additionally, the detecting means may be arranged to detect the position of the support member.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the image receiving tape and the ink ribbon are received in a first cassette in the first mode of operation and the thermally sensitive image receiving tape is received in a second cassette in the second mode of operation, the first cassette is arranged to have an aperture in a first location for receiving the support member and the second cassette has an aperture for receiving the support member in a second location such that the first cassette causes the rotatable support means to be in the first position and the second cassette causes the rotatable support member to be in the second position.
The detecting means may be arranged to determine if an ink ribbon is present along a portion of an ink ribbon. The detecting means may comprise a first emitting element and a second detecting element, wherein the first emitting element is arranged to emit a signal which interacts with the ink ribbon when present and the detecting element, depending on whether or not ink ribbon is present, either receives or does not receive a signal emitted by the emitting element. The detecting element and the emitting element may be arranged on the same side of the ink ribbon or opposite sides of the ink ribbon. In the first case, the detecting means would receive a signal from the emitting means when an ink ribbon is present and in the second case, the detecting means would receive a signal from the emitting element when no ink ribbon is present. The emitting means may provide any suitable form of signal, for example visible, ultra violet or infra red light.
It should be appreciated that features of the first aspect of the present invention can be used with the second aspect of the present invention and vice versa.
Preferably, in the first mode of operation of the print head, the print head energy requirements are at a first level and in the second mode of operation of the print head, the print head energy requirements are at a second level
Preferably, the print head energy requirements are altered by changing one or more of the following parameters:
voltage applied to each printing element of the print head;
length of time for which each printing element of the print head is activated; and
the number of times that the printing elements of the print head are activated for the same set of data.
Preferably, in the first mode of operation, the image receiving tape and the ink ribbon are received in a single cassette. Alternatively, the image receiving tape and ink ribbon may be received in separate cassettes. In the second mode of operation, the thermally sensitive image receiving tape is preferably received in a cassette.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cassette comprising a housing in which a reel holding a supply of tape is arranged, the reel being rotatable with respect to the housing and having a plurality of markings thereon, the housing being arranged so that the markings are detectable by a detecting arrangement external to the cassette to provide information relating to the rotation of the reel.
The tape may be an ink ribbon. The reel may support a reel of unused ink ribbon or a supply of ink ribbon which has been used. Preferably the housing is provided with an opening through which the markings are detectable. The opening may comprise substantially transparent material.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus for printing an image on an image receiving tape comprising:
a thermal print head for printing an image on the image receiving tape, the print head having a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation;
receiving means for receiving in the first mode of operation a supply of image receiving tape and a supply of ink ribbon for providing an image on the image receiving tape, and in the second mode of operation a supply of thermally sensitive image receiving tape;
control means for controlling the thermal print head;
means for directing the image receiving tape along a first path in the first mode of operation and along a second path in a second mode of operation;
detecting means for determining if the image receiving tape follows the first or the second path and arranged to provide a signal to the control means indicative of the path of the image receiving tape, the control means being arranged to control the print head to have the first mode of operation if the image receiving tape follows the first path and the second mode of operation if the image receiving tape follows the second path.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus for printing an image on an image receiving tape comprising:
a thermal print head for printing an image onto an image receiving tape, the print head having a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation;
receiving means for receiving in the first mode of operation a supply of image receiving tape and a supply of ink ribbon for providing an image on an image receiving tape, and in the second mode of operation a supply of thermally sensitive image receiving tape;
control means for controlling the thermal print head;
drive means for driving the image receiving tape and the ink ribbon, when present, past the print head; and
means for detecting a characteristic indicative of the presence or absence of an ink ribbon and arranged to provide a signal to the control means indicative of the presence or absence of the ink ribbon, the control means controlling the print head to have the first mode of operation when an ink ribbon is present and the second mode of operation when no ink ribbon is present, wherein the detecting means is arranged to detect a characteristic indicative of the power consumed by the drive means, the drive means consuming more power when an ink ribbon is present as compared to when no ink ribbon is present.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus for printing an image on an image receiving tape comprising:
a thermal print head for printing an image on the image receiving tape, the print head having a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation;
receiving means for receiving in the first mode of operation a supply of image receiving tape and a supply of ink ribbon for providing an image on the image receiving tape, and in the second mode of operation a supply of thermally sensitive image receiving tape;
control means for controlling the print head;
drive means for driving the image receiving tape and ink ribbon, when present, past the print head;
detecting means for detecting a characteristic indicative of the presence or absence of ink ribbon and arranged to provide a signal to the control means indicative of the presence or absence of an ink ribbon, the control means controlling the print head to have the first mode of operation when an ink ribbon is present and the second mode of operation when no ink ribbon is present, and the detecting means is arranged to detect the load applied to the drive means, the load applied to the drive means being greater when ink ribbon is present as compared to when no ink ribbon is present.